Designing systems for community based visitor data: A collaborative case study on Vancouver Island
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Authors
Vaugeois, Nicole
Parker, Pete
Evernden, Nichola
Sliskovic, Laurel
Issue Date
2015
Type
Conference abstract
Language
en
Subject
Alternative Title
Abstract
Vancouver Island, British Columbia relies heavily on tourism as a core contributor to the economy. The
region provides visitors with adventure, culinary and agri-tourism experiences in both terrestrial and
marine settings. Despite the fact that the last provincial visitor research was undertaken in British
Columbia in 1995, the Vancouver Island region has been proactive in researching and profiling its
visitors. In 2003 a region wide visitor research model provided tourism stakeholders with
comprehensive data on visitors in all four seasons, and again in 2008, a region wide study provided
updated information on visitors. While useful, these efforts have relied on significant funding from
external sources and are difficult to maintain on an ongoing basis.
Many of the communities in the region are small and at early stages of tourism development. Budgets to
invest in tourism marketing are often limited and unstable, and capacity to undertake market research
among any staff members is weak. These communities have limited access to models that enable them
to understand their own visitors and therefore they rely on outdated information from prior regional
visitor studies or macro level data sources from urban areas or provincial and national sources. This
data is unlikely to represent the profile of visitors and if used to guide decisions, could result in risky and
ineffective investments for the communities.
In an effort to address these systemic issues and enhance the availability of marketing intelligence,
researchers piloted a visitor experience study with the City of Nanaimo and the community of Tofino in
2013. After a successful pilot, the model was refined and expanded in 2014 to include the community of
Ucluelet and the Cowichan Valley.
Description
Conference presentation abstract: Turning Insights into Actions - the Crucial Role of Tourism Research: 2015 Travel and Tourism Research Association Annual International Conference. Conference Date: June 15-17, 2015. Location: Portland, Oregon
Citation
Vaugeois, N.L., Parker, P., Evernden, N., & Sliskovic, L. (2015). Designing systems for community based visitor data: A collaborative case study on Vancouver Island. Paper presented at the 2015 Travel and Tourism Research Association Annual International Conference, Portland, Oregon.
Publisher
TTRA